In the evening, the Camberlan Family’s grand hall was bustling with voices.
The hall, which had previously seemed somewhat desolate, was now filled with clamor. The long table was laden with wine and food, and the people coming and going were all dressed in luxurious attire.
Masha had also changed into an elegant long dress and stood at the entrance welcoming guests, exchanging smiles and pleasantries with each new arrival.
Xiliya did not involve herself in these matters. She simply stayed in a quiet corner with a good view, quietly observing Masha’s every move.
She noticed that Masha’s attitude toward people from various merchant guilds differed. For example, with Luo Keke’s bearded father, Masha merely brushed him off with a couple of casual remarks, but she chatted amiably for a long time with the rotund president of the Textile Merchant Guild.
In this regard, Xiliya actually admired Masha somewhat. At least she was sharper than Xiliya’s own useless father. Dos Camberlan had never understood the social value behind hosting such gatherings; he would skip them simply because they were troublesome.
But Xiliya, like Masha, knew that such gatherings were essential for the Camberlan Family. Although the family managed the city, much like the self-operating City Guard, they often only served as gatekeepers.
The economic lifeblood of the city was in the hands of these guild merchants. To skim some profits, it was indispensable to build good relations with them.
“I get it. This is what they call ‘collusion between officials and businessmen makes the money flow,’ right?” Ximo whispered from beside her.
Xiliya glanced down at Ximo’s hand, which she was holding. “You’re sweating a lot. Are you that nervous about attending the gathering?”
“A little bit…”
Sometimes, Xiliya felt a sense of disconnect from Ximo, like right now. Although she had witnessed the little maid’s silly cuteness, Ximo was an assassin after all, and she had indeed ambushed her that day. Would an assassin really get nervous just from attending a gathering?
Xiliya did not know that Ximo was tense because she was thinking about the plot task she had to complete later.
“Being slandered at the banquet and forced to apologize (Incomplete)” was the new task the System had given her. The personified System’s exact words were:
【As the unpopular eldest daughter of the Camberlan Family, Masha has always been scheming to suppress you.】
【Therefore, at the gathering, an heir from a guild close to Masha will deliberately pick a fight with you. Not only will Masha not speak up for you, but she will twist the facts and make you apologize.】
【In the end, under the attention of everyone at the banquet, you are forced to apologize to the person who bullied you.】
What made this plot task tricky for Ximo was that she was attending the gathering as Xiliya’s dance partner today!
With Xiliya by her side, she could not pull off her old trick of disguising herself as Xiliya to scam food and drinks, and moreover…
Ximo glanced at Xiliya’s profile. The young lady’s profile lines were cold, her face devoid of any expression.
As someone reborn in the second playthrough, Xiliya certainly would not let herself be bullied tonight like in her previous life. How was she supposed to complete this task right under Xiliya’s nose?
“Let’s go. We’ll go say hello too.”
Masha was still chatting happily with Charles. Xiliya grew tired of watching and proactively approached the guild leaders to greet them.
In her previous life, due to her timid personality, she had stayed alone in a corner during such occasions, naturally failing to gain support from any guilds and letting Masha take all the benefits.
Now, she would not hand over the network of guild relations so easily. Whatever Masha could do, she could do too.
Not far away, Masha also noticed Xiliya’s actions. Watching Xiliya converse gracefully with others, a flicker of light and shadow crossed Masha’s eyes.
But soon, Xiliya, who had taken the initiative to appear at the gathering, ran into the arriving Charles. The impeccably dressed Charles flashed a cold glint in his eyes and approached proactively.
“Good evening, Xiliya.”
At that moment, Xiliya was standing by the long table with Ximo, chatting with Luo Keke. She acted as if she had not heard Charles at all, not even turning her head.
“I said—” After calling out twice more without any response, Charles’s face darkened noticeably. Only then did Xiliya pretend to have just noticed, turning her head.
“Young Master Charles, sorry, it was too noisy here. I didn’t hear you earlier.”
Xiliya extended her right hand amicably. “I’m glad to see you here tonight—it proves your carriage didn’t meet with any accidents on the way to the banquet.”
“You—”
Charles was left speechless by the retort. Seeing he could gain no advantage over Xiliya, he could only slink away awkwardly.
Xiliya snorted coldly and withdrew her gaze. It was precisely because she had been too timid in her previous life that people like Charles had grown bold enough to bully her.
She had more important things to do tonight and did not want to waste time on someone like Charles, so driving him off was enough.
But seeing Charles leave in a huff, Ximo panicked. She had been trying hard to tiptoe and catch his attention, but Charles’s focus had been entirely on Xiliya.
Bro, don’t go! You give up after she snaps at you once? Where’s your persistence? If nothing else, look at me—we don’t have to pick on just Xiliya, right?
“What are you spacing out for? Don’t just stand there.”
Xiliya’s words pulled Ximo back to reality. She uttered an “oh” and could only obediently follow behind Xiliya to exchange pleasantries with the next person.
But just then, the maid Annaer suddenly pushed through the crowd of guests.
“Young Lady, someone outside is looking for you. It’s from the City Guard.” Annaer leaned close to Xiliya’s ear and whispered.
“I’ll go right now.” Xiliya patted Ximo’s shoulder. “Wait for me here.”
Then Xiliya wove through the crowd and left the hall. Ximo was stunned for a moment before realizing this was her chance.
But she had not expected Xiliya to leave midway. According to the plot the System described, Xiliya was originally supposed to stay isolated in a corner of the gathering until it ended.
Of course—with her second-playthrough rebirth, she naturally would not repeat the same actions as her previous life… Hope reignited in Ximo’s heart. Regardless, her opportunity had come!
Ximo naturally did not obey Xiliya’s order to stay put and wait. After scanning the crowd of guests, she quickly located Charles.
Here’s the breakthrough, right?
Anyone else at the banquet certainly would not deliberately hassle a little maid like her, but Charles was different!
Ximo now only prayed that Charles still remembered her and was still resentful from the last time, harboring some grudge against her.
